Fall in Love

by Anthology

  “Yeah, she's fine. She just overdid it on the shots. Sorry if I woke you.”

  As Katie’s mom moved aside to let him step into the house, she waved her hand. “Oh no, you didn’t wake me. I was just resting on the couch so I could see my girl when she got home. I miss her so much, I thought, even if we just got a few minutes to visit…”

  Jason smiled. “Well, unfortunately, I don’t think that will be happening tonight.”

  Pam smiled back and nodded her head in agreement. “Yep, looks like catch-up time will have to wait. Do you want me to take her?”

  Jason shook his head. “No, but if you could make her some toast and grab a few aspirin and a big glass of water and meet us upstairs, that would be great.”

  “Sure thing, sweetie.” She patted Jason’s arm as she headed off to the kitchen.

  Jason had always loved Pam. She was subdued compared to Aunt Wendy, and she wasn't as overly nurturing and affectionate as Nick and Sophie’s mom, Grace. But she had such a quiet strength about her, a solidness. She didn’t get upset easily, and when she did, it was never in an overreacting sort of way. She was just steady and calm. It had always comforted Jason.

  When he reached Katie's bedroom, he laid her down on her bed and smoothed her hair. She murmured something unintelligible and pressed her head into his hand. He pulled her desk chair over to sit next to the bed and keep watch.

  He looked up when he heard Pam entering the room and then immediately vacated the chair, motioning for her to sit.

  Pam smiled. “Thanks, Jason.”

  Pam sat down in the chair and set the water, dry toast, and aspirin on Katie's nightstand. She gently shook Katie awake and helped her take the aspirin and eat the toast, chuckling at all the nonsensical things Katie was mumbling.

  “I admit, I used to tie one on every once in a while back in my day,” Pam said ruefully, but Jason thought there was a touch of nostalgia in her voice. “There's nothing wrong with it if it doesn't become a habit.”

  After Katie had finished her piece of toast, Pam stood and excused herself, yawning all the while. Jason covered Katie with her blankets and was just about to flip off the lights when he heard her say, “I need your shirt.”

  He walked back over to her bedside.

  “Katie, sweetie, you're wearing my shirt,” he said gently.

  She looked down at herself and pulled at his button-down.

  “No,” she said disgustedly. “Not your shirt. I need your shirt.”

  Jason shook his head at that logic. He was trying to figure out what to say next when she made the very surprising move of pulling his button-down shirt right over her head.

  “Whoa!” he exclaimed, turning his back out of sheer instinct. Ogling her in her impaired condition seemed like a shady thing to do.

  “I need your shirt,” she continued insistently.

  Okay, so, maybe it was best to just follow along with her line of logic.

  “Okay, Katie. Where is the shirt you want me to get for you?”

  “Duh. In my suitcase,” she replied like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

  He walked over to her suitcase, being very careful to keep his eyes straight ahead not on her bare breasts, as much as he would have loved to indulge in just that under any other circumstance.

  As he bent down to unzip her case, he said, “Okay can you give me a clue so I can know which shirt it is you want to sleep in?”

  “It’s. Your. Shirt,” she continued to insist. “The shirt I sleep in every night…”

  He shook his head. She still wasn't making any sense.

  He unzipped her case and flipped it open, getting ready to dig through her clothing so he could just find a comfortable shirt for her to sleep in. Even if it was her shirt and not 'his,' hopefully she'd be satisfied enough with it to settle down and go to sleep.

  He was reaching his hand towards her bundle of clothing, when he froze, hand still in the air. His eyes saw what was lying in front of him but his brain was having trouble processing the information it was sending.

  Was that...?

  It couldn’t be...?

  It was his Def Leppard shirt. The one from sixth grade. The one he had felt so cool in because, while all the sheep he went to school with were wearing boy band t-shirts, he was sporting a vintage rock tee. The one he had taken off and given to Katie that day in the cafeteria.

  Holy shit.

  Could this be the shirt she wanted? His shirt?

  The one she’d said she slept in every night?

  He stood up and handed it to her, his eyes never straying below her beautiful face.

  “Is this the shirt you want?” he asked quietly, his voice hoarse.

  “Yes!” she exclaimed, “your shirt.”

  She swiftly slipped the shirt over her head and fidgeted as she pulled it down, then plopped down on her back and brushed stray hairs that had fallen in her face. A few seconds later, he heard light snoring fill the room.

  He waited for a moment and watched her sleep, all cuddled up in his shirt, sleeping like a baby.

  A smile pulled at his lips.

  Like a very drunk and soon-to-be very hung-over baby.

  But that was fine. She was comfortable for the time being. And what had allowed her to calm down and drift off to sleepy time? It was his shirt. That was the only thing that had eased her restlessness.

  He smiled wider.

  She slept in it every night.

  Yep. Any lingering doubts he might have had about whether or not Katie’s feelings for him, were more than just as a friend, were erased in one fell swoop.

  She may not know it yet. She may be in denial. But Jason was sure, now more than ever, that this thing between them was real.

  Oh yeah. It was on.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Katie felt something on her arms. Shaking her arms. Gently, but still, it was annoying.

  She swatted at it. “Stop…” she moaned.

  She became a little bit more aware and heard her mother's voice.

  “There we are. Good morning, Sunshine. Time to get up.”

  Katie cracked her eyes open. Even with the shades fully drawn, the room was far too bright.

  “What time is it, Mama?” Katie groaned.

  “It's almost eleven. I've got to get to work, and you've gotta get on the road pretty soon,” Pam replied.

  Katie's eyes flew open. Eleven? Whoa! Sleeping in to her, was not getting up until 7:00 a.m. She couldn't remember the last time she had still been asleep when the double digits rolled around.

  She heard her mom laugh and say, “Okay, I see that little tidbit's got you wide awake. I'm heading out to work, sweetheart. I'll be driving up to the lake after my shift. I probably won't get up there in time for the rehearsal dinner, but I will see you up there tonight.”

  Katie nodded, although it was painful, and Pam bent down and kissed her forehead. She heard her mom call out as she was heading for the stairs, “I'll call you on my break, baby—just to make sure you're up and around.”

  “Thanks, Mama,” Katie called back weakly.

  Katie gently rested back against her pillows and tried to remember what happened the night before even though the mental effort felt like it was driving shards of glass into her brain.

  Closing her eyes, the previous evening’s event started coming back to her in snippets.

  She saw flashes of herself taking shots, beginning to feel sick, making her way across the bar, getting drinks spilled on her, and Jason coming in the bathroom.

  Then…nothing.

  She couldn’t remember anything past that.

  Ah. Katie hated the feeling of not being in control. There was a reason she had gravitated towards the legal profession. It was a world that was all about laws, which were the ultimate arbiters of control and rules.

  Not being able to remember her own actions was the ultimate loss of control.

  Gingerly, she pushed up onto her elbows. Squinting at the pain in her head, she force
d herself to complete the task and come to an upright position. She tried to swallow, but found the task much more difficult than it should be because it felt like her throat had been coated down with cotton balls.

  Taking in a deep breath, she lifted her arms above her head to stretch. As she did, she looked down and noticed that she was wearing her regular nightshirt. The Def Leppard shirt. She didn’t remember how she’d gotten home, let alone how she’d gotten into the shirt.

  Damn, everything was so foggy. If it wouldn't be so painful, she'd shake her head to clear it.

  Just then, she glanced at the clock and realized that it was about time to get this show on the road.

  She climbed into the shower and let the hot water stream over her sore and aching muscles. She tried to sing a few times to clear her thoughts, but the rise in pressure it caused inside her head was just too great. It seemed her concert was going to have to be canceled.

  After her shower, Katie made her way slowly back into her bedroom and repacked her suitcase. She felt like she was moving at a snail's pace, but she couldn't help it. She was just so sore, nauseous, and foggy-headed.

  Her eyes, once again, turned to her nightstand to check the time and see how she was doing according to the schedule and was shocked by the realization that this was just a few hours past the time she had pulled into town yesterday.

  God. So much had happened in twenty-four hours. Being home. Seeing everyone. Seeing Jason.

  Coffee. Katie needed a cup of coffee.

  As she made her way downstairs, the Sherlock in her was still trying to piece together the events of the night before; and, at the same time, she was silently praying that Mom or Aunt Wendy had made coffee already. If it was already made, she would have just enough time for a cup (or maybe two) before she got out onto the road.

  Her head still felt fuzzy, but about halfway down the stairs, she did recognize the intoxicating aroma of freshly brewed java drifting into her nostrils.

  Ahhhhh, yes, she thought. Thank you, God.

  As she stepped into the kitchen, her energy spiked as she made a beeline for the coffee machine, just as she heard a deep voice behind her say, “Good morning, Sunshine.”

  Katie screamed and jumped two feet in the air, twisting as she did so, and landed so precariously that, before she knew it, she had fallen flat on her rear.

  Her heart was racing like it was running from the cops as she looked up through the blonde strands of hair that covered her face like Cousin It. Beneath the curtain of hair from her position, sprawled on the kitchen floor, she saw that Jason was already beside her reaching down to help her up, laughing so hard, she was surprised he hadn’t doubled over and fallen beside her.

  Seriously? It wasn’t that funny, Katie thought as Jason’s strong hands wrapped around her and she was back on her feet.

  Tingles spread through her at his touch and she tried to shake it off while she admitted to herself that yeah, it probably was that funny.

  --- ~ ---

  As Jason helped Katie off the floor, he tried not to notice how good she looked in her red v-neck t-shirt and blue jeans, but damn, she did look good. The hint of cleavage that was peeking out of her shirt made his mouth water. Literally.

  “Still unsteady on your feet, huh, Kit Kat?” Jason teased, trying to direct the conversation away from anything remotely sexual.

  “I’m not unsteady on my feet,” she declared defensively once she was standing upright again and had the leverage to push away from him. “You scared me. That’s why I fell.”

  “Yet another thing that’s my fault,” Jason pointed out as he went to take his seat, once again, at the kitchen table.

  Jason saw something flicker across Katie’s face, but he couldn't decipher what it might have been. As fast as it had appeared, it was gone again. She groaned. “I need coffee.”

  He watched as she poured herself a cup and waited while she took a few sips. He had always known that talking to Katie before she was ready to listen was a mistake, so he waited patiently. Sure enough, after a few minutes, she asked, “What are you doing here? I thought you would already be headed up to the lake with Bobby.”

  “Well, Sophie wasn’t feeling very well this morning, so Bobby wanted to drive her up so he could take care of her. You know, make sure that she had everything she needed.”

  “She’s sick? Oh, no! Is it bad? Oh my gosh! I should be with her. I’m her maid of honor!” Katie quickly set her cup down and headed towards the front door. “I can’t believe I got drunk last night. What was I thinking?!”

  “Slow down, Kit Kat.” Jason held her arm gently as she rushed past him. “Sophie’s fine. It's just a bad hangover. And believe me, she would rather have my brother taking care of her anyway. They left a couple of hours ago, so they should just about be at the lake by now.”

  Jason felt all of the tension leave Katie's muscles. Her arms relaxed, her shoulders dropped down, and she let out a huge sigh.

  She stepped back into the kitchen. “Well, if that’s the case, then I need one more cup before I hit the road.”

  Jason stood, walked over to the fridge, and pulled out eggs, butter, cheese, assorted chopped veggies, and orange juice.

  “Sit down. Drink your coffee,” he said amiably. “I’ll fix you an omelet before we hit the road.”

  “Are you headed up there right now, too? I mean, like I said, I thought that you would've left earlier.”

  Katie scooted by him to take a seat at the breakfast bar as she delivered this speech, and he felt her body brush against his back as she passed. The contact sent electricity surging through his body.

  He tried to ignore it.

  “I had a meeting with a surveyor that ran a little late. I was just headed out of town when I got a call from Grandpa J saying he thought you might need a ride,” he said neutrally. He knew he would need to ease into this discussion carefully with Katie. She was not going to like this little turn of events.

  “Oh, that's sweet of him, but really, I'm totally fine to drive,” Katie assured him as she lifted her hand, waving it in a gesture of dismissal.

  “That very well may be the case, but he wasn’t calling into question your ability to drive. It was more a question of having the transportation necessary to do so.”

  Katie tilted her head and scrunched her nose the way she always did when something didn’t quite make sense to her. Jason had forgotten how much he loved that face, it had always reminded him of a bunny. She was so adorable it actually made his chest hurt.

  After she downed the last of her second cup of coffee, she sat up straighter looking more alert by the minute. Her innocent movement, however, was making his jeans grow tighter and tighter by the second. Katie was seriously filling out that red shirt and it was killing Jason not to be able to strip her out of it. He was beginning to sweat and it had nothing to do with the stove he was standing in front of.

  “I have my rental car,” she said, her eyebrows knitted together, totally oblivious to the internal battle her lovely lady lumps were causing him.

  “Well, yeah, that’s the thing,” Jason explained as he plated her omelet and set it in front of her at the breakfast bar. He, then, went to retrieve the Tabasco sauce—Katie always had Tabasco sauce on her eggs. As he set the small, red bottle in front of her, he said, “There's no air in the back tires of your car.”

  “What?” Katie looked alarmed.

  “Eat,” he commanded as he pushed both the hot sauce and the plate closer to her and leaned his elbows on the counter. He waited until she took her first bite and then continued.

  “Both of the back tires are flat. I called the rental company and they're sending out a tow truck, but they didn’t know how long it would take. I told them that you had arranged other transportation, so they are only charging you for one day.”

  “Other transportation,” her eyes narrowed, “…meaning you?”

  “Yes, indeed,” Jason confirmed cheerfully as he turned to wash out the pan he had used to co
ok the eggs. “So eat up, and we’ll hit the road.”

  “That’s so weird,” she mused as she worked her way through the plate of eggs and sipped the orange juice. “I wonder what could have happened. Why would both back tires just go flat like that?”

  Slipping off the barstool after finishing every last bite, she bumped Jason’s hip with hers in a friendly gesture of camaraderie as she set her plate in the sink. “Thanks for the breakfast, Jas. I'm starting to feel human again. And also for taking care of the rental and the ride to the lake. Just…thanks, Jas, for everything.”

  He smiled and nodded at her. What he actually wanted to do was pick her up, set her on the counter, and kiss her so hard she wouldn’t be able to think straight. But he knew she wasn’t ready for that. Yet.

  Things had gotten way too physical yesterday, and he needed to establish their connection on a non-physical level if he had any chance at not scaring her off again.

  Her full lips tilted up as she smiled warmly at him as they finished up the dishes. After they finished wiping their hands on the dish towels that hung beside the sink, he turned to head out of the kitchen, but before he took a step, Katie threw her arms around his neck, lifting up on her toes, and pulled him into a tight embrace.

  After the moment of shock wore off, Jason wrapped his arms around her and held her firmly against him. He inhaled deeply, breathing in the scent of her hair and just feeling the intensity of the moment.

  As much as he was enjoying her being in his arms he knew that there was something going on with her, she was holding onto him like her life depended on it. Rubbing her back, he gently asked, “Hey, are you okay?”

  He felt her chest rise as her breath caught and she gave him one more squeeze before leaning back with a small, almost sad, smile on her lips. Tears brimmed her gorgeous baby blues as she whispered, “It’s just really good to see you again, Jas.”

  Then, the next second, the moment was over. She patted him on the chest as she spun away. “I gotta go pee before we hit the road, Jack.”

  Damn.

  He really didn’t know what he was gonna do if—no, scratch that, when—she left again. Jason didn’t want to think about that or even face that. So he decided to put the thought as far out of his mind as possible for the rest of the weekend.